Process of extracting vanadium from its ores.



G. A. KOENIG.

PROGESS FOR EXTRAGTING VANADIUM FROM ITS ORES. APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1910.

96, 1 Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

INVENTOR (ff a WITNESSES 1 %g 2- ATTORNEY GEORGE A. KOENIG, OF HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN.

:PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING VANADIUM FROM ITS ORES.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE A.- KOENIG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Houghton, in the county of Houghton and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Extracting Vanadium from its Ores, of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates to improvements in processes for the recovery of vanadium from its ores, particularly from the vanadinifen ous sandstone of southwestern Colorado and other places.

I have discovered that roscoelite, or ores of vanadium containing substantially the same mineral substances, can be completely decomposed and dissolved by the action of a water solution of sulfuric, hydrochloric, or other acid under proper heat and proper pressure. In practice I find that the action of about a twenty per cent. solution of sulfuric, hydrochloric, or other acid upon roscoelite at a temperature of about 200 centigrade and under a pressure of about 225 pounds per square inch, which corresponds to such a temperature in a closed vessel, will completely dissolve and decompose this mineral within a few hours. This is the first step in treating the mineral preparatory to recovering the vanadium and is, I believe, new.

On account of its cheapness I prefer to use sulfuric acid, but as other acids will, under suitable conditions, accomplish my purpose I do not desire to limit myself to the use of any one of them.

The mineral having been decomposed and dissolved as above is filtered and the filtered solution is evaporated to a mushy consistency. The mushy material is then placed in a retort or mufiie and is heated gradually until brought to a bright red heat to drive .out the acid which maybe recovered in the usual manner. The acid having been driven out the residue is a mixture of the oxids of,

vanadium, aluminum, manganese, iron and other oxids that may be resent in the ore,

plus certain undecomposa 1e sulfates of cal- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

Application filed September 21, 1910. Serial No. 583,014.

cium, potassium, &c. The mixture of oxids and undecomposable sulfates is now mixed with sodium carbonate in and is roasted at a red heat in an oxidizing flame either with or without the addition of oxidizing agents. The roasted mass is now disintegrated with boiling water, preferably in a boiler furnished with one of the well known forms of stirring apparatus, and after disintegration, and while still in the boiler, is treated with carbon dioxid to precipitate the aluminum hydroxid. I believe this separation of sodium vanadate from sodium aluminute to be new.

In the drawings Figure 1, is a central sectional elevation of a vessel in which the ores of vanadium can be subjected to the action of sulfuric acid, heat, and pressure; Fig. 2, an end elevation of Fig. 1.

a is a rotating vessel, in the present case furnished with tires 6 which rest upon wheels 0 the shafts d of which are carried in suitable bearings e and one of which is furnished with a pulley f by means of which itand its wheels may be driven to rotate the vessel a.

g is a port through which the vessel a may be charged and discharged; h are steam pipes leading to a boiler, not shown, for. conduct; ing steam under pressure to the vessel a. The, pipes h enter the vessel a through stuffing boxes placed at its sides and upon its horizontal axis. I

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The described method for decomposing and dissolving the ores of vanadium which consists in subjecting them, under heat and pressure, to the action of an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid.

2. The described method for decomposing and dissolving roscoelite which consists in subjecting the mineral to the combined'action of, about, a twenty per-cent. water solution of sulfuric acid and steam at a temperature of about 200 centigrade in a closed vessel.

3. The described method for recovering vanadium from its ores, more particularly roscoelite, which consists in subjecting the proper quantity ore to the action of an aqueous acid solution ture with boiling Water and finally in treatunder heat and pressure, filtering and evaping the boiling mixture with carbon dioxid orating the resulting mass to a mushy conto precipitate aluminum hydroxid.

sistency, driving out the acid by heat, mixing GEORGE A. KOENIG.

- the dried mass with sodium carbonate and \Vitnesses:

roasting this II1 iX tI1I'8 at a red heat in an oxi- ELSA KOENIG NITZSCHE, dizlng flame; dlsmtegrating the roasted mix- GEO. E. NrrzsoHE. 

